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Credits

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

During her interview with Jeff Gardner on Catholic Radio International, American Life League Director Judie Brown, surprised me by saying "we've never had better bishops". Hearing the dim view she had of Senator Kennedy's funeral, I expected her to me more pessimistic about our bishops. She said that she feels we have turned a corner, and that the American Catholic cares more about life issues than ever, before, and that our bishops reflect this trend.Now I can see where she gets her enthusiasm. These shepherds are eloquent, bold and inspiring. Let's follow them to victory over this insidious evil plan with it's hidden agenda which belongs to the Culture of Death.Death to seniors, death to the disabled, death to the unborn.

Bishop Walker Nickless of Sioux City, Iowa issued this message today,"First and most important, the Church will not accept any legislation that mandates coverage, public or private, for abortion, euthanasia, or embryonic stem-cell research," Nickless writes. "We refuse to allow our own parish, school, and diocesan health insurance plans to be forced to include these evils."I think Bishop Nickless is referring to the State of North Carolina's efforts to force faithfully Catholic Belmont Abbey College to cover abortions and birth control in their employee health plan. That would be the future of Catholic health care plans if Obamacare passes.

Bishop Robert Vasa of Oregon stated, "Without these changes (and significant changes in other medical, moral and conscience issues) the health care bill is fatally flawed and as such cannot be supported."

"Meanwhile, the Bishop of Fargo, North Dakota, Samuel J. Aquila, has written a letter calling for “genuine health care reform.”“True health care begins with the unborn child in the womb,” he explained. “When a given plan to provide care fails to protect that life, it is no longer animated by a source of truth and justice, thus it will not, and cannot, flourish.”Abortion "has nothing to do with promoting health," he says."

Such clear, uncompromising words give encouragement to those of us who labor in the trenches.Nickless has encouragement for pro-life advocates."I encourage all of you to make your voice heard to our representatives in Congress. Tell them what they need to hear from us: No health care reform is better than the wrong sort of health care reform," he says. "Insist that they not permit themselves to be railroaded into the current too-costly and pro-abortion health care proposals. Insist on their support for proposals that respect the life and dignity of every human person, especially the unborn."

Bishop of Fargo, North Dakota Samuel J. Aquila has written a letter encouraging priests, deacons, vowed religious and laymen to become engaged in promoting “genuine health care reform.” His letter presents four principles on which to evaluate legislative proposals for health care plans.

He said health care plans must exclude any provisions which deny “the dignity of human life,” such as abortion, passive or active euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research. It would be “inherently inconsistent” to expand access to health care without safeguarding human life from conception onward, Bishop Aquila wrote. “True health care begins with the unborn child in the womb,” he explained. “When a given plan to provide care fails to protect that life, it is no longer animated by a source of truth and justice, thus it will not, and cannot, flourish.”

Killing unborn children, he continued, has “nothing to do with promoting health.”

The bishop listed conscience protection as another important facet of health care for health care professionals, participants in health care plans, and society in general.

“The doctors, nurses and health care professionals who possess such medical expertise are prime candidates for coercion from those who would destroy the most vulnerable human lives. The right to follow one’s conscience, as informed by God, must be guaranteed,” he stated.

“In no way should taxpayers or policy holders be forced to participate in plans, whether private or public, which fund procedures that violate the moral precepts of the faith.”

Another principle of reform is access for all, Bishop Aquila added.

“Finding ways to provide medical care to those who have none is a perennial priority for the Church,” he wrote, adding that access to health care must be ensured for the poor, the elderly, the handicapped, legal immigrants and the unborn.

The bishop invoked the concept of subsidiarity as his fourth principle. He quoted the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s description of subsidiarity, which holds that a “higher order” of society should not needlessly interfere with or displace a “lower order.”

“As a society seeks to bring about any good such as health care, there are many organic and intermediate groups which cooperate together to reach the desired goal. There is a danger in being persuaded to think that the national government is the sole instrument of the common good,” he continued.